A common myth, generally perpetrated by those that succeed when they convince the ignorant to act on their ignorance, is that everyone in American that can vote, because they are of legal age, should. Like blind lemmings following a hypnotic siren, they hope to drive hordes of Americans (living and dead) to the polls at least one time each on Election Day. But I am here to tell you that just because you can vote, you should not do so out of ignorance.

I know that statement contradicts common "wisdom," but is it any different than telling you that you should not buy a new car without understanding exactly what you are buying or purchasing a new home without having it inspected for flaws first? Would you make any major purchase without educating yourself? If not, then why would you go into the voting booth on November 4th and essentially "purchase" the next Chief Executive of the United States without similar due diligence? So, in that spirit, I have decided to run through a series of points that if you are ignorant on you should reconsider if you are really ready to cast your vote.

For example:

If you do not understand that the second amendment is a guarantee of an individual's right to keep and bear arms, specifically enumerated as such over and over by the founding fathers, and you actually support a candidate that has worked to usurp such a basic right ... maybe you should not vote.

If you have forgotten that John McCain authored and helped to pass the single greatest infringement of the first amendment (Campaign Finance Reform) in recent history, a law that effectively tells citizens when and how they can speak up on politics ... maybe you should not vote.

On a similar note, if you actually think that infringing on the first amendment is a good thing and agreed with John McCain ... maybe you should not vote.

If you do not understand that the progressive income tax was a major platform of Karl Marx's communist agenda and support a candidate who favors increasing taxes on the rich while bribing other Americans to vote for him or her with the promise of no income taxes for themselves ... maybe you should not vote.

If you have forgotten that the issue of amnesty for illegal aliens who violated legitimate United States laws and are, by definition, criminals is still on the table and support a candidate that may push for such a thing ... maybe you should not vote.

If you actually think, perhaps because you were educated in the public schools, that the "general Welfare" clause of our Constitution grants the federal government a blank check to spend tax dollars on any benefit they can dream up and believe this despite the overwhelming majority of the founding fathers being on record stating the exact opposite ... maybe you should not vote.

On a similar note, if you are living off the government largess and collecting a paycheck from the government under some program not authorized by the Constitution but implemented unconstitutionally to require the work of another to be confiscated to line your pockets ... maybe you should not vote.

Let me go even further on this point by saying boldly, if you seriously think that federal spending can ever be reigned in without taking the axe to the welfare programs (Social Security, Welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.) which make up well over 60% of expenditures ... maybe you should not vote.

If you cannot understand the simple concept that in pushing for higher taxes on those producing goods and services you consume, they will simply recoup those losses by raising the cost of the goods and services and get that money right back from you ... maybe you should not vote.

If you claim to support the troops but choose instead to support a candidate that looks down his nose at their efforts and who is rejected by them in poll after poll of our servicemen and women (that would be Barack Obama in case you don't know) ... maybe you should not vote.

If you think, for some deluded reason, that an ideology of from each according to his ability, to each according to his work or needs with a central bureaucracy determining the value of your work and what your needs actually are will work if we give it another try, despite having never having worked ever or at any time in the past ... maybe you should not vote.

Pursing that concept even further, if you honestly think that an ideology that taxes the "haves" and gives to the "have nots" actually works despite clear examples in the former Soviet Union, NAZI Germany, Mussolini's Italy, Mao's China, and with modern day North Korea, Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba which show how such ideas lead to poverty and misery ... maybe you should not vote.

If you believe, in that little empty cranium of yours, that under President Bush's tax cuts, the middle class did not get tax relief because some union news letter told you so ... maybe you should not vote.

If you would rather live in some other country other than America and see that country as freer with a better basis for government of, for and by the people with inalienable rights for all guaranteed ... maybe you should not vote. And perhaps you should spend the time you save by not voting to pack your bags so that you can move there.

If, even though you think Congress is not doing a good job, you are going to vote back into Congress your Representatives and Senator because you seriously believe that the problem is all the other Congressmen and women but don't know how your elected officials have voted and are not able to back up such a statement ... maybe you should not vote.

If you think that the President has more control over the economy than Congress, which passes the laws that affect the economy ... maybe you should not vote.

If you think that the Constitution can be changed on a whim and by judicial fiat, congressional law or presidential mandate because you have never actually read the document, or at least read it recently ... maybe you should not vote.

If you think that the Republican Party is a racist organization and are going to vote based on that despite the fact that the party that fought against slavery, gave slaves the right to vote in the southern states before the Democrats regained power and stripped such rights and forget that the GOP stood up in overwhelming numbers for the rights of minorities throughout history ... maybe you should not vote.

If you did not know that one of the major candidates in this year's election has won endorsements from high ranking officials with the Communist Party USA and are too dim witted to even have a guess as to which one it may be ... maybe you should not vote.

If you think that it is more important to have a President with a certain skin color without much concern for his politics and will vote for him because of his skin color ... maybe you should not vote.

By the same token, if you are going to vote against a particular candidate because of his skin color (black or white) ... maybe you should not vote.

And lastly, if you cannot be bothered to plan ahead and use the brain God gave you to find a way to get your butt to the polls one day out of the year (excluding members of the military and others with actual emergencies who should be accommodated) ... maybe you should not vote.

Now, I honestly do not expect many of the citizens of this country who fall into one or more of the above categories to take my advice. There are a lot of arrogant people out there who, even when the truth is laid before them, will not take notice of it. That truth which I have tried to impart to you is that a vote cast in ignorance makes you a tool of those seeking power.

A Republic survives when the public, educated on the issues and united in the pursuit of liberty, votes. It fails and dies when disparate groups with no regards for the rights of others, the truth, or respect for the firewalls put up to protect the rights of all, vote in droves with nothing on their mind other than themselves and how much they can get the government to take from someone else to give to them.

J.J. Jackson is a libertarian conservative author from Pittsburgh, PA who has been writing and promoting individual liberty since 1993 and is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. He is the lead editor contributor to American Conservative Daily and also the founder of SignalCongress.com. He is the owner of The Right Things - Conservative T-shirts & Gifts (http://www.cafepress.com/rightthings). His weekly commentary along with exclusives not available anywhere else can be found at http://www.libertyreborn.com